A beautiful expression by our new poet laureate, Ada Limon. On poetry.
“It has the possibility to show us rage, to connect with our fear, to celebrate joy, to make room for the whole spectrum of human emotions,” she said. “Great poetry is the place where we come to get the strength to heal, to become whole again and to then recommit to the world.”
I wonder if the same might be said of great photography?
I know. I’ve taken a lot of pictures of boats lately. And the Potomac River. And my hometown. But it’s a good place to practice, and I love the views. These photographs were taken with the camera that my husband calls my “spy camera” because it is both small and quiet. Very discreet. The Olympus 35RC, my very first roll of film with a rangefinder camera. Falling in love with these tones.
When I’m looking for something new to watch on television, I often search the category hidden gems. When I travel, I always look for places off the beaten path. When I open my heart to friends, I am drawn to people who wear their heart on their sleeve, those who have known suffering and use their pain to extend compassion to everyone else. The best things in life are often not the easiest. The difficult way is often the short cut. All those times I tried to outwork or out run my feelings really just prolonged the healing process. And now here I am, reveling in my own humanity and holding space for each person I encounter.
What a joy to wander around Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in the winter months. Tucked away among old neighborhoods in the lovely city of Richmond, Virginia, this place is truly a hidden gem. On this visit, there was a bonsai exhibit in the conservatory. I was using my Mamiya 645 medium format camera, and several people stopped to ask about the camera and film photography. Oh, can you still buy film? Where do you get film developed? I am an enthusiastic teacher, willing to share what I know so the conversations were lively and enjoyable. The artist pruning the bonsai tree for the exhibit was kind to let me take a picture of his precise work. I was a little nervous about having to focus quickly, but I’m happy with the result. He is part of another hidden gem, Gardens Unlimited in Ladysmith, Virginia, as I learned from our conversation. I’ve lived near Ladysmith for most of my life and have never heard of his nursery. Now I can’t wait to visit. Joy is meant to be shared.
Winter views of Colonial Beach, Virginia with Ilford’s medium format black & white film, Kentmere 400, using my Mamiaya 645.
I love this film! The negatives were scanned as .tiff files and the originals were nearly perfect straight from the lab, picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom.
I increased the contrast and bit and played with the tones. I like black white images with warmer tones, but I’m not sure I have this right just yet.
